----

##  The Impact of Work-Based Learning on Students. ERIC Digest.                  

Recent educational approaches that have career and technical                    education (CTE) components, such as Tech Prep, career academies, and            High Schools That Work, have striven to integrate work experience               with traditional academics; similarly, school-to-work (STW) by                  definition is composed of school-based learning, work-based                     learning (WBL), and bridging activities. How have these approaches              affected their student participants both academically and                       personally? This Digest brings together research on the effects of              approaches involving WBL on students' educational outcomes,                     attitudes, and short- and long-term employment                                  prospects. STUDENTS' EDUCATIONAL OUTCOMESAs a general rule,               studies and evaluations have found positive associations between                participation in approaches involving WBL and students' educational             outcomes at both the secondary and postsecondary levels. Positive               effects have been reported throughout the whole range of high school            experience, from attendance to coursetaking to graduation, whereas              too little time has passed for the longer-term effects in                       postsecondary education to be investigated. 
Secondary 
Typically,            approaches involving WBL proceed from the premise that learning set             in the real-world context of work not only makes academic learning              more accessible to many students but also--even more                            fundamentally--increases their engagement in schooling. Such                    fundamental effects have been found over and over. For example, a               5-year study of 3.4 million Texas high school students (Brown 2000)             found that Tech Prep students had higher attendance and on-time                 graduation rates and lower dropout rates than both non-Tech Prep CTE            students and the general population of secondary students. Similar              positive effects have been reported in reviews of studies on career             academies (Stern et al. 2000) and--in spite of wide variation in the            levels and details of implementation--STW programs (Hughes et al.               2001). Studies of youth apprenticeship programs also found increased            attendance and decreased dropout rates (Hollenbeck 1996; Silverberg             et al. 1996). 
Furthermore, positive effects were not limited to               persistence. Brown (2000) reported that Texas Tech Prep students                completed more academic courses than non-Tech Prep counterparts.                Comparing 4,700 Tech Prep and non-Tech Prep participants from eight             selected Tech Prep consortia, Bragg (2001) found that in four                   consortia, Tech Prep students were more likely than non-Tech Prep               counterparts to begin high school below the level of Algebra I; but             almost all had completed Algebra I by graduation. Higher grades or              grade point averages (GPAs) were reported in studies of                         community-based STW programs for high-risk youth (Adler et al.                  1996), Rhode Island Tech Prep programs (MacQueen 1996), and youth               apprenticeship (Hollenbeck 1996; Silverberg 1996). Frome (2001)                 analyzed data from High Schools That Work (HSTW) 1996 and 1998                  assessments and found significant increases in the percentage of                students who met HSTW achievement goals in math, science, and                   reading; higher increases in the percentage of seniors meeting                  achievement goals were associated with increases in the percentage              of seniors completing the HSTW-recommended program of math, science,            and English courses. 
Postsecondary 
Bragg (2001) found high rates            of postsecondary enrollment 1 to 3 years after high school                      graduation--65 percent across all eight consortia, over 75 percent              in five consortia. MacQueen (1996) reported considerably higher                 postsecondary participation rates for Rhode Island Tech Prep                    associate degree students. Studying career academies in a single                urban district and nationwide, Maxwell and Rubin (1997, 2000) found             that, compared to general education or traditional vocational                   education, career academies and the academic track both generate the            same increase in the likelihood of attending a 2- or 4-year college,            although career academy effects were uneven across different groups             of students. Furthermore, Maxwell and Rubin concluded that their                single-district results strongly suggested negative creaming--i.e.,             career academies had a disproportionately high enrollment of at-risk            students, which could mean that the effects of career academies were            understated. STUDENTS' ATTITUDESReports of students' attitudes            toward WBL have been predominantly positive. In Haimson and                     Bellotti's (2001) ongoing national evaluation of WBL in STW                     implementation, most students reported that internships and job                 shadowing helped them clarify their career goals. Students gave the             highest ratings to WBL activities customized to their individual                needs and providing one-on-one contact, rather than group worksite              tours and school-based enterprises; correspondingly, paid and unpaid            internships obtained through school had advantages over positions               students arranged on their own. In STW studies reviewed by Hughes et            al. (2001), students involved in internships and youth                          apprenticeships placed high value on the skills they acquired in                decision making, problem solving, teamwork, interpersonal and                   communication skills, customer relations, performance of complex                multistep tasks, and appropriate job behaviors. Likewise, in a                  qualitative national longitudinal study (Hernandez-Gantes and                   Sanchez 1996) of 82 students in 5 occupational/career-oriented                  programs (Tech Prep, youth apprenticeship, career academies),                   students reported that WBL experiences facilitated acquisition and              production of new knowledge, application of knowledge to real-world             situations, and motivation for taking personal responsibility for               their own learning and career development. Wisconsin youth                      apprentices (Scribner and Wakelyn 1997) typically saw their WBL                 experiences as providing technical knowledge and skills needed to be            competitive in the high-tech, fast-changing workplace as well as                more generalized skills like problem solving, critical thinking and             teamwork--even though they often reported seeing no connection                  between WBL and classroom learning activities. Like students in many            WBL studies, Wisconsin youth apprentices reported great change in               important attitudes toward life, work, and themselves: greater                  acceptance of responsibility, improved attitudes toward work,                   parents, and adults, more positive perceptions of their own                     employability and employment options, plans for postsecondary                   education and careers. Similarly, Stasz and Brewer (1998) compared              two different WBL programs (yearly unpaid internships and                       one-semester paid work experience) in one large urban school                    district and found that students in both programs reported the                  greatest benefits to be in developing appropriate work-related                  attitudes and behaviors such as following directions, getting along             with others, and taking responsibility. STUDENTS' EMPLOYMENT                  PROSPECTSBragg (2001) found that Tech Prep graduates, whether               attending college or not, were more likely to work and to work full             time than non-Tech Prep counterparts, although she noted that her               study occurred too early to determine the impact of postsecondary               education on employment outcomes. However, in their 7-year follow-up            study of high-risk youth involved in community-based STW programs,              Adler et al. (1996) reported higher employment rates in general; in             particular, twice as many students were in upwardly mobile jobs. On             the other hand, in their review of empirical findings on the effects            of career academies, Stern et al. (2000) found mixed evidence at                best on employment outcomes: either no significant differences                  between career academy and noncareer academy students in employment             status, wages, or hours worked or relatively small                              differences (e.g., increase in number of hours worked per week but              no difference in earnings per hour). ISOLATING THE EFFECTS OF                 WBLTypically, studies of approaches to CTE integrating WBL with             traditional academics do not attempt to isolate the effects of                  different components of the approach on the outcomes examined;                  consequently, conclusions are not and cannot be drawn on the impact             of WBL activities per se. However, studies that do address the                  specific effects of WBL report an association between the extent or             intensity of WBL activities and poorer school performance. Haimson              and Bellotti (2001), for example, reported that STW students holding            internships--or jobs--and working more than 20 hours per week have              slightly lower GPAs than other students. Kaufman et al. (2000) found            that HSTW schools in which more students participated in work-based             internships or vocational teachers spent more time using outside                experts to evaluate student work showed slight but statistically                significant decreases in academic achievement. Both studies clearly             state the caveat that poorer academic achievement may result from               preexisting factors; nevertheless, they recommended caution in                  implementing WBL. This recommendation echoed the traditional wisdom             about the effects of working during high school (reviewed in Stern              1997). Although findings vary, most agree that students who worked              intensively (i.e., 15-20 hours per week or more) tended to have                 lower grades, do less homework, be more likely to drop out, and be              less likely to complete postsecondary education. These costs must be            balanced against such benefits as immediate earnings, increased                 likelihood of employment and higher earnings in the short term after            high school, and a long-term increase in positive orientation to                work. 
However, that conventional wisdom has been brought into                 question in an analysis (Warren et al. 2000) of data from the                   National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988, a survey of a                    nationwide sample of students who were eighth-graders in 1998.                  Warren et al. used a simultaneous equation model to investigate both            short-term and long-term effects and the possibility of a reciprocal            relationship between employment of any kind--WBL or                             otherwise--during high school and grades in academic courses.                   Researchers found no evidence  that working during high school                  affected grades in academic courses either in the short term (i.e.,             during the same academic year) or in the long term (two academic                years later) or that students' grades affected their employment                 activities. Instead, researchers found that preexisting differences             between students who worked intensively and those who did not (in               socioeconomic status, grades, academic achievement, postsecondary               education aspirations, and curriculum track) accounted for the                  association between employment intensity and grades in academic                 courses. CONCLUSIONOverall, it appears reasonable to say that             approaches to CTE that integrate WBL with traditional academics                 typically have positive effects of students' educational,                       attitudinal, and employment outcomes. It is difficult, if not                   impossible, to say exactly what role WBL plays in producing positive            effects--particularly WBL involving intensive employment during high            school. Nevertheless, WBL may play a crucial indirect role in                   improving outcomes for at-risk students by increasing their                     engagement in learning, whether in or out of                                    school. REFERENCESAdler, L.; Searls, P.; Weihel, L.; Hemsley,             R.; and Dick, J. "The Impact of a Community Based School-to Work                Program for High Risk Youth." In RESEARCH FOR EDUCATION IN A                    DEMOCRATIC SOCIETY. PROCEEDINGS OF THE 1996 AERA VOCATIONAL                     EDUCATION SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP, edited by R. L. Joyner, pp. 45-62.            Washington, DC: Vocational Education Special Interest Group,                    American Educational Research Association, 1996. (ED 398                        417) 
Bragg, D. D. PROMISING OUTCOMES FOR TECH PREP PARTICIPANTS IN            EIGHT LOCAL CONSORTIA: A SUMMARY OF INITIAL RESULTS. Minneapolis:               National Research Center for Career and Technical Education,                    University of Minnesota, 2001. (ED 453 363)                                     http://www.nccte.org/publications/infosynthesis/r&dreport/Promising             Outcomes.pdf 
Brown, C. H. "A Comparison of Selected Outcomes of               Secondary Tech Prep Participants and Non-Participants in Texas."                JOURNAL OF VOCATIONAL EDUCATION RESEARCH 25, no. 3 (2000):                      273-295. 
Haimson, J, and Bellotti, J. SCHOOLING IN THE WORKPLACE:             INCREASING THE SCALE AND QUALITY OF WORK-BASED LEARNING. FINAL                  REPORT. Washington, DC: Mathematica Policy Research, 2001. (ED 455              444) 
Hernandez-Gantes, V. M., and Sanchez, D. "Producing Knowledge            in Career-Oriented Programs: Students' Perspectives on Schooling                Experiences." In RESEARCH FOR EDUCATION IN A DEMOCRATIC SOCIETY.                PROCEEDINGS OF THE 1996 AERA VOCATIONAL EDUCATION SPECIAL INTEREST              GROUP, edited by R. L. Joyner, pp. 14-27. Washington, DC: Vocational            Education Special Interest Group, American Educational Research                 Association, 1996. (ED 398 417) 
Hollenbeck, K. AN EVALUATION OF               THE MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY PARTNERSHIP (MTP) PROGRAM. TECHNICAL               REPORT NO. 96-007. Kalamazoo, MI: W. E. Upjohn Institute for                    Employment Research, 1996. (ED 413 440) 
Hughes, K. L.; Bailey, T.             R.; and Mechur, M. L. SCHOOL-TO-WORK: MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN                    EDUCATION. A RESEARCH REPORT TO AMERICA. New York: Institute on                 Education and the Economy, Columbia University, 2001. (ED 449 364)              http://www.tc.columbia.edu/~iee/PAPERS/Stw.pdf 
Kaufman, P.;                   Bradby, D.; and Teitelbaum, P. HIGH SCHOOLS THAT WORK AND WHOLE                 SCHOOL REFORM: RAISING ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT OF VOCATIONAL COMPLETERS            THROUGH THE REFORM OF SCHOOL PRACTICE. Berkeley: National Center for            Research in Vocational Education, University of California at                   Berkeley, 2000. (ED 438 418) 
MacQueen, A. B. "Assessing Tech Prep             in Rhode Island." TECH DIRECTIONS 55, no. 7 (February 1996):                    21-23. 
Maxwell, N. L., and Rubin, V. THE RELATIVE IMPACT OF A                 CAREER ACADEMY ON POST-SECONDARY WORK AND EDUCATION SKILLS IN URBAN,            PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOLS. Hayward: Human Investment Research and                     Education Center, California State University, Hayward, 1997. (ED               436 652) 
Maxwell, N. L., and Rubin, V. HIGH SCHOOL CAREER                     ACADEMIES: A PATHWAY TO EDUCATIONAL REFORM IN URBAN SCHOOL                      DISTRICTS? Kalamazoo, MI: W. E. Upjohn Institute for Employment                 Research, 2000. (ED 445 266) 
Scribner, J. P., and Wakelyn, D.                 YOUTH APPRENTICESHIP EXPERIENCES IN WISCONSIN: A STAKEHOLDER-BASED              EVALUATION. 1997. (ED 422 505) 
Silverberg, M.; Bergeron, J.;                  Haimson, J.; and Nagatoshi, C. FACING THE CHALLENGE OF CHANGE:                  EXPERIENCES AND LESSONS OF THE SCHOOL-TO-WORK/YOUTH APPRENTICESHIP              DEMONSTRATION PROJECT. FINAL REPORT. Plainsboro, NJ: Mathematica                Policy Research, 1996. (ED 413 402) 
Stasz, C., and Brewer D.                  J. "Work-Based Learning: Student Perspectives on Quality and Links              to School." EDUCATIONAL EVALUATION AND POLICY ANALYSIS 20, no.                  1 (Spring 1998): 31-46. 
Stern, D. LEARNING AND EARNING: THE VALUE             OF WORKING FOR URBAN STUDENTS. ERIC/CUE DIGEST NUMBER 128. New York:            ERIC Clearinghouse on Urban Education, Teachers College, Columbia               University, 1997. (ED 413 405)                                                  http://eric-web.tc.columbia.edu/digests/dig128.html 
Stern, D.;                Dayton, C.; and Raby, M. CAREER ACADEMIES: BUILDING BLOCKS FOR                  RECONSTRUCTING AMERICAN HIGH SCHOOLS. Berkeley: Career Academy                  Support Network, University of California at Berkeley, 2000. (ED 455            445) 
Warren, J. R.; LePore, P. C.; and Mare, R. D. "Employment                during High School: Consequences for Students' Grades in Academic               Courses." AMERICAN EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH JOURNAL 37, no. 4 (Winter               2000): 943-969. 
----- 
This project has been funded at least in              part with Federal funds from the U.S. Department of Education under             Contract No. ED-99-CO-0013. The content of this publication does not            necessarily reflect the views or policies of the U.S. Department of             Education nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or              organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.                      **Title:** The Impact of Work-Based Learning on Students. ERIC Digest.                  **Note:** Digest Number 242.                                                           **Document Type:** Information Analyses---ERIC Information Analysis Products (IAPs) (071); Information Analyses---ERIC Digests (Selected) in Full Text (073); **Available From:** For full text: http://www.ericacve.org/pubs.asp.                             **Descriptors:** Academic Achievement, Academic Education, Career Academies, Career              Education, College Students, Curriculum Design, Effective Schools               Research, Employment Level, Employment Potential, Experiential                  Learning, Grades (Scholastic), High Risk Students, High School                  Students,  Integrated Curriculum, Job Skills, Learning Motivation,              Literature Reviews, Longitudinal Studies,  Outcomes of Education,               Postsecondary Education, Program Effectiveness, Qualitative                     Research, Secondary Education, Socioeconomic Status,  Student                   Attitudes, Student Employment, Student Motivation, Student Needs,               Tech Prep, Vocational Education,  Work Experience Programs                   **Identifiers:**  Career and Technical Education, ERIC Digests, High Schools That                Work,  Work Based Learning                                                   
###
[Return to ERIC Digest Search Page]